The present invention relates to a novel pharmaceutical composition and method for treating hyperlipidemia and arteriosclerosis, more specifically to an antihyperlipidemia agent having a blood cholesterol lowering effect or an antiarteriosclerosis agent having a macrophage-foaming reaction suppressing effect and a method for treating hyperlipidemia and arteriosclerosis using this composition.
As people have become more affluent, their eating habits have changed toward increased intake of foods with high cholesterol content and high caloric value. As a result, hyperlipidemia and arteriosclerosis are increasing rapidly in conjunction with the aging of the population. This has become a major social problem.
Hitherto, drug therapy for hyperlipidemia and arteriosclerosis has been directed only to lowering blood cholesterol. No drug capable of reversing the effects of arteriosclerosis is available.
Arteriosclerosis is characterized by thickening of the blood vessel intima and lipid deposition within the blood vessel. Therefore, for drug therapy of the disease, drugs capable of lowering blood cholesterol have been used. However, it has been found that the macrophage-foaming reaction plays an important role in forming the focus of arteriosclerosis. Thus, it is expected that suppression of this reaction would result in regression of the arteriosclerosis foci.